Acting White: What Black HS Grads, Near-Grads and DNG’s* Need

My daughter graduates from high school (HS) this week. Also, I have spent the past few months in a discussion group with some minority urban (mostly black) HS young adults. Some of these kids will continue their education, too many will not. My concern for them is no different than that for my girl. Are they learning, or have they learned, what they need to develop into happy, productive adults? Sadly, for most, the answer is no. They are not failures, but they have defintely been failed.

*DNG: Did not graduate.

So what is it that they did not learn? This is the same character my first-born would say I have been drumming into her for the last eighteen years - the importance of timeliness, preparation, reasoning, empathy, perseverance, and diligence. Historical bigotries notwithstanding, it is no accident that what black kids are missing is aligned with that which has also kept their historical ethnic geographies, in Africa, at bay, even as off-continent societies have accelerated to positions of dominance.

It is this reduced historical adherence to advancing behavior which holds black kids back, in and out of the face of bigotry. I think the schools need to start explicitly pursuing these soft-gaps prevalent in certain communities, the same way we teach foundations in math and reading. How about Timeliness 101, Preparation 102, Critical Thinking For Beginners 103, etc. for establishing the basis for learning, graduating and contributing to society in positive ways?

This may seem way too simple, or like a cultural intrusion, but I can guarantee that the kids I have met are starving to unlock the ‘secrets’ to success, but very few are getting credible instruction about behaviors that make a difference, like good grammar. In the meantime, I will keep drumming these behaviors into my own kids, and any others that care to wonder where they will land.

Happy graduation to those who made it! Now get back to the books.

James C. Collier

READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE...

Technorati Tags: Acting White: What Black HS Grads, Near-Grads, and DNG’s* Need, Graduation, Timeliness, Preparation, Critical Thinking, Acting White